Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election Tuesday for Florida's 87th state House district, which encompasses President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples by roughly two percentage points. The Associated Press projected Gregory the winner with all precincts reporting, marking a significant reversal in a district where a Republican won by 19 percentage points in 2024 and Trump himself carried by approximately 11 points that same year.

Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner running for office for the first time, centered her campaign on rising costs and promised to prioritize that issue in office. Maples, a financial adviser and former Lake Clarke Shores council member who described himself as an 'America-First patriot,' touted his business experience and pledged to cut taxes. Trump had endorsed Maples on Truth Social, urging supporters to turn out, and cast his own ballot in the race by mail — despite the president's longstanding public criticism of mail-in voting as fraudulent.

The victory is the 10th GOP-held state legislative seat Democrats have flipped since Trump began his second term in January 2025. Republicans have not flipped any Democratic state legislative seats during the same period. Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee president Heather Williams said state Democrats have flipped 29 districts since Trump's election, while Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried declared the result proof that 'Democrats can run and win anywhere — including Donald Trump's backyard.'

The win carries broader significance as both parties look toward the November 2026 midterm elections, in which control of the U.S. House, a third of the Senate, and numerous governorships and state legislatures will be on the ballot. Trump's approval rating currently sits in the high 30s to low 40s in most public polling, and Americans have expressed broad skepticism toward the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, which has dominated coverage of the administration for the past month. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said voters had 'sent a message,' adding: 'If Democrats can win in Trump's backyard, we sure as hell can win anywhere across the country.'